Percutaneous, minimally invasive interventions represent an operating technique that is particularly gentle on the patient. In a biopsy or in another minimally invasive intervention on the lungs, for example, a needle is pushed into the thoracic cage and guided to the target position. There, the tissue is removed or the intended operation performed. The needle is then withdrawn again, so that only the small puncture site remains. In interventions of this kind on the lungs, however, vessels are often damaged, as a result of which internal bleeding can occur, which subsequently has to be stopped. If fairly large bronchi are encountered on the access path to the target position, air can get into the lung tissue and cause what is known as a pneumothorax, which requires subsequent treatment.
At present, the planning of the puncture site is carried out by way of imaging techniques, generally by way of computed tomography. Starting from the target position and extending past the ribs, a suitable puncture site on the skin is sought in the 3D image data of the computed tomography apparatus. Vessels and bronchi on the access path between the puncture site and the target position are in most cases not taken into account in the planning. Particularly in the case of lesions lying directly behind the ribs or of deeper-lying target positions, this method proves to be susceptible to errors and, in the event of an error occurring, leads to the procedure having to be repeated, which is time-consuming and places a burden on the patient.